SAN DIEGO — No matter how far deployed service members are from their families, they still can take an active role in the care of their children, the military’s top noncommissioned officer said here yesterday. “United Through Reading has made it possible for every parent, teacher, mentor and leader in our all-volunteer force to instill a…

WASHINGTON (AFNS) — Senior U.S. and Russian defense officials signed a memorandum of understanding Oct. 20 on air safety in Syria, the Pentagon’s press secretary said. The MOU is aimed at minimizing the risk of in-flight incidents among coalition and Russian aircraft operating in Syrian airspace, Peter Cook said at a Pentagon’s news conference. The…

OBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) — The Defense Department has given sexual assault victims a resource that helps them take control of their recovery process. Established in 2011, the DOD Safe Helpline is a crisis support service for members of the DOD community affected by sexual assault. Safe Helpline provides live, one-on-one support and…

WASHINGTON (AFNS) — President Barack Obama announced at the White House Oct. 15, that he will keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan through 2016 and a lesser number into 2017 to sustain coalition efforts to train and strengthen Afghan forces. Joining Obama at the podium were Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Marine…

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said recently that the world is more unsettled and unpredictable than at any time during his 41-year military career. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey sat down with DoD News to discuss his four-year tenure as chairman. He retires at the end of the month. He said…

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department wants its service members and civilian employees to know it’s not too early to make sure their 2015 health insurance paperwork is in order before filing their federal taxes, the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs said in a recent interview with DoD News. Dr. Karen Guice said the…

WASHINGTON — Agriculture and farm business opportunities became the newest career training choice for transitioning service members this week when the Agriculture Department announced it would ensure service members attending the Defense Department’s Transition Assistance Program, or TAP, would receive information on veteran training and counseling programs in agriculture. DoD’s Transition to Veterans Program Office…

WASHINGTON (AFNS) — Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry O. Spencer and Jack Buckley, the senior vice president of research for the College Board, spoke about innovation and education during the Military Child Education Coalition’s 17th National Training Seminar July 31. Spencer, who was a military child himself, spoke on the importance of…

WASHINGTON (AFNS) — The award of the new modernization contract for electronic health records is a great opportunity to “save money, save time, and most importantly, save lives,” said Christopher A. Miller, the Defense Healthcare Management Systems program executive officer. In a culmination of a more than two-year effort, the Defense Department today awarded a…

WASHINGTON (AFNS) — The Air Force maintains its commitment to protect personal information from cyber threats by continuing efforts with the Defense Department and the Office of Personnel Management to assist those impacted by the recent cyber incident involving federal background investigation data. OPM and an interagency response team, including investigators from the FBI and the Department…

Papers We Publish

Publisher

Published the first Friday of each month, Desert Lightning News is distributed to military and contractor personnel on Davis-Monthan AFB, including all on-base offices and high traffic locations throughout Tucson

News and ad copy deadline is noon on the Tuesday prior to publication. The publisher assumes no responsibility for error in ads other than space used.

The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, or Aerotech News and Review, Inc., of the products or services advertised.